Pizza Rustica is a wonderful way to enjoy the combination of quiche and pizza all in one savory meal. This savory celebration of Italian flavors is usually served around Easter but I have a confession: We make it all. Year. Round.
We love the Easter holiday, pizza, and quiche and this deep-dish combination brings all of those things together.
🥘What is it?
Traditionally, pizza rustica is made on Good Friday to celebrate the end of lent. Usually, it is loaded with Italian deli meats and cheeses, but you can use whatever you have in your meat/cheese drawer at home.
🥣How to make it
(Full recipe at end of this post.)
As with any recipe, start by making sure you have all the necessary ingredients on hand. For this one, we use:
For the Dough
- Flour
- Salt
- Butter
- Eggs
For the Filling
Meats
- Prosciutto
- Boiled ham
- Pepperoni
- Soppressata
Cheeses
- Mozzarella
- Provolone
- Ricotta
- Pecorino Romano
- Pepper and Eggs
2. Mix all the filling ingredients in a large bowl.
3. Roll the dough out as directed in the directions in the recipe below. Line the bottom and sides of a baking dish, as shown.
4. Add the filling and gently smooth out the top so it is even.
This double-crusted meat and cheese Italian Easter Pie is easy to make. You can use any combination of the ingredients for the filling that we list above, or use what you have on hand. Whichever route you choose, you just need to end up with about two pounds worth of meats and cheeses. Other substitutions can include:
- Chorizo sausage
- Sweet Italian sausage
- Mortadella cheese
- Capicola ham
- Spinach
- Mushrooms
- Sweet bell pepper
We hope you give this Pizza Rustica recipe a try; be sure and let us know how it turns out for you and what you use for your filling. For a similar dish, be sure and check out our Italian Savory Pie recipe.
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📖 Recipe
📋 Recipe
Ingredients
For the Dough
For the Filling
- 12 oz Prosciutto 1/4 inch cubes
- 8 oz Boiled ham 1/4 inch dice
- 8 oz Soppressata 1/4 inch dice
- 8 oz Mozzarella cheese Cubed into 1/4 inch pieces
- 8 oz. Provolone cheese 1/4 inch cubes
- 2 lbs. Ricotta cheese
- 4 oz Pecorino Romano Grated
- 10 Eggs Large and beaten
- 1 tsp Pepper
- 1 Egg Beaten, for egg wash
Instructions
For the Dough
- Use a large bowl and whisk the flour and salt. Cut the butter into the flour mixture using a pastry cutter, a fork, or two knives. Do this until you have a mixture of coarse crumbs
- Add the eggs and knead for a minute or two and then slowly add about 1 1/4 cups ice water, a little at a time, until a ball a dough forms.
- Using a lightly-floured surface, knead the dough until you have a large smooth ball. This should take about 5 minutes. Cover the bowl of dough with plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes.
For the Filling
- Using a large mixing bowl, add the meats and cheeses and eggs and mix thoroughly.
Putting the Pizza Rustica Together
- Preheat your oven to 350° F and divide the dough into two balls. Use approximately 2/3 for the bottom crust and the remaining 1/3 for the top crust. Using a lightly floured surface, roll the bottom crust (larger portion) of the dough and then line the bottom and sides of a baking dish, leaving some overhang. Pour the filling mixture into the bottom crust and smooth it lightly. Use a little water to wet the edges slightly. This will make it easier to seal the top crust.
- Next, you will roll out the remaining dough for the top crust. Place it over the filling and bottom crust, leaving some overhang which you can trim with a kitchen scissors. Tightly seal the edges of the top and bottom crusts and cut some vents in the top crust. Use a pastry brush to apply an egg wash and bake for 45 minutes. Take the pie out of the oven and apply another coat of egg wash and finish baking for another 45 minutes.
- Allow this to cool completely before serving.
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